Sound great, visibility not so much. The new Nica on Alsterfleet impresses with the quality of its artists, its location and its atmosphere. First impressions of ongoing operations at the Kennedy Administration concert in New York.
Men with beards make their way through the middle of their audience: keyboardist Ondre J. Pivec, drummer Nathaniel Townsley, bassist Chelton Gray and guitarist Dan Muniz dynamically walk through the narrow aisle past three large pillars that stand in the middle of the elongated room. When they have taken their places at their instruments at the front of the stage, singer Kennedy appears in a colorful dress, follows the boys like a queen and, waving, enjoys the welcome applause to the first chords of her composing partner on the keyboard. Then the Kennedy Administration from Brooklyn starts at their first appearance in Hamburg – in the Nica.
Starting problems and first successes
The new jazz club on Alsterfleet is full to bursting a week after its successful opening last weekend, but with the exception of a handful of spectators – at bar tables near the entrance – all 300 visitors have managed to get a seat. Dozens of them sat on the edge, at the bar or at the very front with a clear view of the stage, everyone else could see more or less well, at least only a part of the stage, because the pillars in the middle of the hall require a lot of soundproofing become powerful.
“I love trouble,” sings Kennedy. That could also be the motto of Fee Schlennstedt and Robert von Bennigsen. The two owners of the Nica have set their sights on establishing a central jazz club in Hamburg. But Schlennstedt, an experienced club manager from Berlin, has good contacts in the jazz scene – the New York Kennedy Administration's first appearance in the Hanseatic city will be followed by Hamburg debuts of other jazz greats. Before the concert, Schlennstedt made an announcement in which she cursed the columns: “we all hate them” and referred to teething problems in the catering service. The decoration of the room is by no means complete.
From the Groove Jazz Club to Nica
This earned her the first interjection from the audience: “A jazz club doesn’t have to be perfect, it has to be comfortable,” which was graciously acknowledged with the interjection “Exactly” from a second guest and with applause. And it became comfortable – despite the chaotic group of waitresses and waiters, who didn't work well in coordination, who sometimes rammed into spectators without a tray, and who tried to secure control of the aisle. And if a waiter takes photos of the band during the concert, even though many guests are waiting for their drinks, that doesn't exactly seem to be helpful to the job. The queue at the bar (small beer: 4.30 euros, glass of wine: 8.50 euros) was very slowly getting shorter.
But the concert was all the more beautiful, the audience participated in what the band did professionally, and there was a relaxed, good atmosphere. The Kennedy Administration, no longer an insider tip, took listeners on a musical journey through their jazz, which included funk, soul and pop. Singer Kennedy, who comes from Michigan and grew up with gospel as the daughter of a pastor, writes the songs together with Pivec, who worked with Gregory Porter for ten years in New York. The band formed at the Groove Jazz Club in Greenwich Village, where they performed for years, maturing into a well-rehearsed team.
Charismatic singer captivates the audience
The sound in the Nica is perfect everywhere in the hall. The stage technology is also state-of-the-art. And the restricted visibility is partially compensated for by the reflections in the window front facing the Alsterfleet. It was also a pleasant evening visually. And anyway: What would a jazz temple be without columns. The charismatic Kennedy made the ambitious audience sing along, but then soon had to put them in their place: “You just do circles, I do the cool stuff.” But it worked quite well. In addition to their own pieces such as “Be Your Lucky Number”, “Circles” and “Let's Party”, there were their own versions of “Killing me softly” and “Can't Stop Thinking About You”.
Listening to Kennedy and her band, who also delivered exciting solos instrumentally, who always played forward rhythmically and took the audience with them, is pure jazz pleasure. Pivec's wealth of ideas delights. So for an evening in the middle of Hamburg you could feel a bit like you were in the middle of New York. There are five concerts a week in the Nica, stars alternate with promising newcomers and musical delicacies for gourmets. For example, tickets are still available for The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra on November 24th and the American piano legend George Cables on December 4th. The latter performs with the quartet of Italian saxophonist Piero Odorice, and the evening promises to be an event.
